Comedy club decamps to the Duchess in search for bigger laughs

Toby Jones, the man behind the Hyena Lounge, explains its move across town

This Saturday night (April 12) sees a new chapter in the happy history of the Hyena Lounge as the stand up comedy club moves to the Duchess in Stonebow House.

The reason behind the move is that we listened to the numerous comments from our audience members and have aimed to address their concerns in an attempt to improve their overall experience and enjoyment of the evening.

We knew that the quality of the comedians was as good if not better than the vast majority of comedy clubs in the country but there were a handful of issues with the venue itself that were constantly cropping up.

By moving to a significantly more spacious venue we are able to have all seating now at tables and on comfy padded seats rather than in rows on hard plastic chairs as was the case at the City Screen.

Plus for the warm summer months The Duchess is entirely air conditioned so the venue should be at a pleasant temperature throughout the evening.

Because of The Duchess’s location, the threat of flooding that exists at the City Screen has now been eradicated so there is no risk of shows being cancelled at late notice.

Drink prices

The major complaint that we had though about the City Screen was the bar prices.

Due to Picturehouses’ policy of having the same bar prices across all of their UK sites this means that the price of a drink in the basement of a cinema in York is exactly the same as in what you would pay in a trendy bar in the centre of London.

Despite the best attempts of the staff at City Screen to alter this and to offer their drinks at a more realistic price to reflect their surroundings they were unable to change this policy.

The bar prices at the Duchess are significantly cheaper, it being a locally-run business and enables us to offer an overall better value for money night out.

On the bill for the first show… Brennan Reece

The ticket also now includes complimentary entrance to the club night that follows once the comedy has finished.

While we are very aware that this isn’t something that appeals to every customer it is an option for those wishing to continue their evening into the small hours, or even just stay for one more drink rather than having to relocate to another establishment.

Having already had a test run of the new venue we know just how good the shows at The Duchess will be – and for those who associate it with just being a venue for noisy bands and scruffy customers they are in for a very pleasant surprise.

Back to the Basement

However not all of our shows will be at The Duchess. Some of the smaller tour shows, previews and secret shows that the Hyena Lounge has become famous for will stay at the City Screen.

But The Duchess has a capacity of almost twice that of the City Screen. So we are now able to book shows that we just couldn’t accommodate previously, and offer our customers even more of the finest comedians in the country.

The opening show at our new home features four of our favourite acts: Gavin Webster, Dan Nightingale, Brennan Reece and Tony Jameson ensuring that this new era in the comedy history of York gets off to a flying start.